New Drivers into the Future In 1972, Lamborghini sold his majority and minority stakes in the company: Labor unrest made it impossible to continue his old-time, one-on-one relationships with his workers. At the time, the P250 Urraco, the 400 GT Jarama, the 400 GT Espada and the P400 Miura SV were in production. In 1973, the Countach, roughly "holy cow" in Italian, began to appear on the roads: The green version exhibited at the Paris Motor Show can be seen at the Lamborghini Museum.
The oil crisis caused some streamlining, although new vehicles appeared, such as the Bravo and the convertible Silhouette, presented at the Geneva Motor Show in 1976; the latter's high price tag (and competition with the upstart Countach) produced just 54 units.
In 1976, BMW Motorsport of Munich began its collaboration with the still highly regarded, but struggling company - the first in a series of nonItalian involvements and acquisitions. The decade wasn't all rough roads, though, as the innovative Walter Wolf helped to restyle the already centerstage Countach. The company went into receivership, with the superb Countach spinning enough sales to maintain operations. By 1980, however, many thought Lamborghini had hit the classic brick wall.
Two brothers, Jean-Claude and Patrick Mimran, car lovers and owners of a Senegalese sugar empire, purchased the company in January 1981, producing the 8-cylinder Jalpa and upping the displacement of the Countach 12-cylinder engine to 4.7 litres and 375 horsepower as well as developing a high-performance off-road model. By 1985, the company was producing the monster Quattrovalvole Countach, with four valves per cylinder, generating 455 horses at 7,000 rpm.
In April 1987, Chrysler, recently saved by Italo- American, Lee A. Iacocca, purchased the company. Among its achievements: a prototype Countach, the Evoluzione, made with low-weight materials and a racing engine company, Lamborghini Engineering, established in Modena to build Formula 1 motorplants. |
|
These successfully performed for both the Lotus and Larrousse teams on various circuits, but Chrysler's later lagging enthusiasm proved fatal to continued racing involvement. A 25th- anniversary Silver Anniversary edition of the Countach also appeared: Customers ordered 657 units of the now iconic vehicle.
The new-generation Diablo followed in 1990: Designed by Luigi Marmiroli, this was a digital- age supercar, with 492-horsepower generated by its 5.7-litre V12, in both two-wheel-drive and four- wheel drive configurations. This later version, named the Diablo VT for "Viscous Traction," premiered at the Geneva Motor Show in March 1993.
Even more surprising was another company sale in January 1994, this time to Indonesian investors, who created a variety of Diablo models: the SV; the VT Roadster with a Porsche Targa-style removable roof; the SE, Jota, Monterey, and Alpine; and, later, racing circuit versions of the Diablo - the SVR and the GTR, the latter with a 6-litre 590-horsepower engine.
The Audi Group of Munich completed its purchase in July 1998, producing the first Murcielago in 2001. Named after the great bull, now with power exceeding 600 horses, this is the stomping company leader. Also appearing was the concept Murcielago, the Barchetta, at the 2003 Detroit Auto Show. The current "baby Lamborghini" is the Gallardo, which cries and whimpers with its "wake-the-parents" 500-horsepower 50-valve V10 engine, permanent four-wheel drive and a top speed approaching 200 mph.
Forty years of new roads and innovative automotive paths beginning with one man's desire for perfection: "From the groundbreaking 350 GT to the groundthumping Murcielago, Lamborghini has produced cars that define style," De Giaxa says. "They are models of beauty and brawn so artistically united that their power is graceful and their lines strong. They are instant classics that speak as much about their great pedigree as they do of those fortunate enough to own them and drive them." |
